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Mayoral candidates' platforms include equity, mental health and safe neighborhoods (Updated)
The list of candidates who hope to become Richmond’s next mayor continues to grow.
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Jonathan Young resigns from RPS School Board
Jonathan Young resigned from the Richmond Public School Board April 12 after it was revealed that a December 2023 incident between him and a 15-year-old female student resulted in the student filing a harassment complaint against him.
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Study: Teachers quicker to label black students as ‘troublemakers’
A new study suggests that racial stereotyping by teachers could be a root cause for harsher discipline imposed on black students. Two Stanford University psychologists, Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt and doctoral candidate Jason Okonofua, conducted the study to determine if hidden bias could explain government data showing that misbehaving black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled from public schools than their misbehaving white peers. The psychologists’ research found that teachers are quicker to label black students as troublemakers and to consider more severe penalties for them, compared with white students who misbehave.
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Armstrong bracing for bigger opponents
Armstrong High School football Coach McDaniel Anderson says he is searching for a cure for what he calls “the inner city blues.”
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Roof guilty in church massacre
The jury in the federal hate crimes trial of avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof found him guilty on all counts for gunning down nine African-American parishioners at a historic church in Charleston, S.C., last year.
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Combating summer slide
‘The Books Brothers’ mobilize for book giveaway at Holton
Linwood Holton Elementary School students Jace and Jazz Miles enjoy reading so much that they wanted to spread their passion throughout the school.
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Ignoring call to duty
Failure to sign up for Selective Service hurts thousands
Register for Selective Service. Otherwise, you could ruin your life. Jacquel Parker wishes he could tell that to every young man turning 18.
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Trump pledges to prevent 'unacceptable' repression of school prayer
President Trump, surrounded by schoolchildren of a variety of faiths, announced what he called “historic steps to protect the First Amendment right to pray in the public schools.”
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Newsroom attack feels like home invasion
When news broke that a man with a shotgun had killed five employees in the Annapolis, Md., Capital Gazette newsroom, recent 24/7 media chatter about “civility” suddenly got real.
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Video shows former NFL player manhandled by Georgia police
A lawyer for Desmond Marrow said this week the charges against the former NFL player should be dropped, as police and prosecutors in Georgia said they are reviewing the arrest in which officers allegedly used excessive force.
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Revival linked to COVID-19
Deaths of 6 Metro Revival attendees may be connected to the coronavirus
A three-night revival in early March that brought more than 1,200 people from across the Richmond area to Cedar Street Baptist Church of God in Church Hill each evening appears to have helped spread the coronavirus in the African-American community.
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The coronavirus and achievement gap, by Julianne Malveaux
The coronavirus has upended our way of life, especially in urban America, where social distancing has replaced the laughter of children playing on the street, the excitement of preparing for graduation and prom and the frenzy of last-minute test preparation.
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Thomas Jefferson H.S. senior wants RPS to get its act together
Treyshaun Bailey believes the way Richmond Public Schools is handling requirements for graduation is harming young Richmonders’ chances at graduating through no fault of their own.
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Big Herm's again only black-owned food vendor at Washington NFL team training camp
As football players gather in Richmond this month to test their stuff and compete for a role on the Washington NFL team before thousands of fans, some of Richmond’s small business enterprises are showcasing their best sides, too.
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Personality: Peter C. Pettit
Spotlight on The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond board president
For Richmonders who want to stay active in their older years, Peter Christian Pettit is helping them access avenues for exploration and growth. As president of The Shepherd’s Center of Richmond board of directors, Mr. Pettit is part of the decision-making process that provides older residents new ways to stay active and engaged. And while the circumstances to him leading the organization were unfortunate, Mr. Pettit believes that he has had a positive experience so far.
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To close racial gap in maternal health, Virginia, other states target implicit bias
Black, Hispanic and Indigenous pregnant patients often report facing unfair treatment at hospitals and clinics
Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians.
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Personality: Zenobia Cardwell
Spotlight on founder of 125 Black Women at Boushall Middle School
Zenobia Cardwell says she always has been active and involved in the community, so much so that she won the School Spirit Award her senior year as a student in the International Baccalaureate Program at Thomas Jefferson High School.
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Foremost wishes for the new year
With the start of 2023, the Richmond Free Press invited select local officials to share their foremost wishes for the new year. Here are their responses:
With the start of 2023, the Richmond Free Press invited select local officials to share their foremost wishes for the new year.

